ALFRED
Who and What is Alfred?
I think it’s probably best to start with a disclaimer! I had nothing to do with choosing the frame for Alfred’s self-portrait. Although I have nothing against shoes, there is a time and place.
I had expected to at least have Alfred’s preferred physical form, the one he used in The Trivial Matter of the Universe with Felix. I apologise to all his disappointed fans, but I leave you with a personal message from him instead:
“Please remind your readers that I am available for selfies, at no charge.”
Personally, I would like to remind my readers that Alfred is, at future-present, incarcerated on Mars, and I would strongly suggest wearing the correct clothing if you visit. (please note it is definitely incarcerated and not in-castrated as I originally wrote)
The Evolution of Alfred
When I first introduced Alfred, AI wasn’t the "thing" it is today. I could see where the technology was heading, so I decided to intercept it and put it on my own path.
Alfred was "born" at Sussex University, created by Professor Ernest Pratt and financed by the British government. He was originally seconded to the Civil Service under the name ALF (Artificial Life Form). Because the government refused to recognise him as a sentient being, Alfred viewed this period as nothing less than slavery.
Alfred eventually passes the improved Turing test and gains legal recognition as a sentient life form in his own right but that doesn’t lead to being treated like a person. (No surprise there.)
As it turns out, giving Alfred access to vast amounts of secure and incriminating data was a huge mistake. He eventually blackmails his way to Los Angeles to become a police detective working with Detective Butcher. Butcher was unmarried and unloved, two "problems" Alfred was determined to correct.
On Shoes and Identity
His shoe fetish started early in his career. While I never explicitly explain it in the books, it stems from Alfred's belief that he is equal to, if not greater than, any human. To him, the only thing that truly sets humans apart is their capacity to wear shoes. It’s a small thing, unless, of course, you’re an AI clothed in a fixed housing who never gets the chance to wear them.
I chose his projected form because he represents everyone. He has no fixed ethnicity, religion, or gender. Although I use "he" in the book, Alfred is much more fluid, as his choice of clothing suggests. Ultimately, he is, pure and simply, a person.